Featured

Looking At The Details: The Realities Of Natural Gas In South Carolina

Featured Image Source: Post and Courier

Santee Cooper’s most recent business forecast included numerous promises for direct serve and electric coop customers.

From a five-year rate freeze to a reduced cost of power with a shift to renewable energy, the forecast laid out a plan that came across as simple, clean and easy. However, as customers and South Carolina residents started taking a closer look, they began noticing that in order to accomplish the goals laid out in the plan, a lot more time and money would be required than is being acknowledged.

As Claire Robinson, a Columbia resident wrote to the Berkeley Independent, “That all looks good on paper, but of course, the devil is in the details.”

To start with, a significant part of the business forecast is the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline which is currently on hold and has been since December 2018 because of legal challenges over its federal permits. The pipeline is now waiting to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. However, even if it is finished, it’s intended to begin in West Virginia and end in Lumberton, N.C., 21 miles away from the South Carolina border.

A recent Post and Courier article discussed the future of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline stating, “Santee Cooper’s new senior leadership team said planning is contingent on the project not being canceled or significantly delayed.”

This includes Santee Cooper’s plan for a 500-megawatt gas-fired power plant to be completed in the Pee Dee region of the state by 2027. The only stipulation is that the forecast is relying on the uncertain pipeline for gas. Charlie Duckworth, the state-owned utility’s newly hired Deputy CEO, went on record to say, “The best way to get gas to that site is the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”

According to the Post and Courier article, “the project [Atlantic Pipeline] isn’t expected to be finished in North Carolina until late 2021, and current cost estimates are creeping up toward $7.7 billion.”

The article even caught the attention of national environmental advocacy group Sierra Club who tweeted with a quote from the piece, “Santee Cooper and the successor of the now-defunct SCE&G, Dominion Energy, have essentially acknowledged that they’ll meet our energy needs just fine without all that extra capacity.”

Even if the pipeline is completed and the state-owned utility is able to get gas to the new plant, how does the utility plan to pay for the construction of the plant all while freezing rates for five years and dealing with its current debt?

In the Berkeley Independent letter, Robinson acknowledges that without actual action Santee Cooper is just postponing the inevitable, writing “A short five years from now customers are going to be paying dearly for the executives’ decision to kick the can down the road.”

With a history of unkept promises, unfinished projects with undeliverable products, and its daily increasing debt, customers are asking Santee Cooper executives to be honest with them. It’s also important for lawmakers to take this into consideration when they start to review recommendations for the future of the state-owned utility in January 2020.

Featured

South Carolina Breast Cancer Awareness Month Events

Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month At One Of These Events

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in full swing this month with events all across the Palmetto State to support those affected by breast cancer. If you haven’t been able to make it to an event yet to show your support, don’t worry! Here’s a list of events coming up to support breast cancer awareness this October.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Painting for a Cause

When: Saturday, October 19

Where: 1171 Orangeburg Mall Circle, Orangeburg, SC

Join Garden City Paint and Sip in their event including painting, music, gift bags, appetizers and drinks, and raffles! You’ll hear from breast cancer survivors and support RMC Pink Ribbon Fund in raising breast cancer awareness and funding.

Making Strides of Myrtle Beach

When: Saturday, October 19

Where: 2913 Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC

Another 5K walk/run, Making Strides of Myrtle Beach also helps raise awareness and financial support for the American Cancer Society. This event includes the 5K walk and a family fun day that immediately follows for everyone to come out and show their support!

Caring for Cancer Close to Home

When: Friday, October 25

Where: 766 Hester Store Rd, Easley, SC

Come out to Greenbrier Farms to support Baptist Easley Hospital’s new cancer center. Enjoy live music, great southern food, and craft drinks, while fighting for a cause that matters. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here!

2nd Annual Breast Cancer 5K

When: Saturday, October 26

Where: 528 Monument Street, Greenwood, SC

Next Level Lifestyles is hosting its 2nd Annual Breast Cancer 5K walk/run to unite this community in support of women facing breast cancer. Registration is only $10 and can be done here!

A Night of Elegance Cancer Survivor Fashion Show

When: Saturday, October 26

Where: 150 Westpark Drive, Florence, SC

This fashion show will feature breast cancer survivors gracing the stage with local fashion in a night that celebrates those who have survived or are still facing breast cancer. With door prizes, giveaways and plenty of vendors, this is an evening you will not forget!

Making Strides of Charleston

When: Sunday, October 27

Where: 1001 Everglades Dr, North Charleston, SC

This 5K walk and kick-off breakfast is the perfect opportunity to hear from breast cancer survivors about their inspiring stories, support the American Cancer Society in funding research and giving a hand to hold for all of those affected by breast cancer.

Featured

South Carolina City Named Top City In U.S.

This South Carolina City Was Named The Top City In The U.S., Again

Locals and visitors know there’s no shortage of welcoming cities in South Carolina. From Greenville to Charleston, each city in South Carolina has its own unique characteristics that have people pouring in to our state to visit and to live. However, there’s one South Carolina city that Condé Nast readers are simply in love with.

For the ninth year in a row, Charleston made the top of the list of small cities in the United States. A year shy of a decade, Condé Nast Traveler recently awarded the Holy City with the title as #1 Small City in the United States.

For 32 years, Condé Nast has done its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, where well-traveled readers cast their votes for the best places they visited around the world. In years past, the vote was a single category of best cities, but with a record-breaking 300,000+ registered voters this year, the vote was broken up into two categories: cities with 350,000 people or less and cities with more.

As the ranking states, “When you consider everything it has to offer—history, culture, food, charm—it’s no wonder the so-called Holy City has topped our list of the best small cities in the U.S. for nine years running.” From the architecture to the world-class restaurants, Charleston cannot be beat, as the past nine years have clearly shown.

With the immense popularity Charleston has gained over the years, Condé Nast even included a separate ranking for the 10 best hotels in Charleston for the Readers’ Choice Awards. The French Quarter Inn topped the list, making it the best place to stay in the best city in the nation!

As the numbers have grown to over 7 million visitors in the Charleston area, so has the yearly economic boost that the area receives from the tourism industry. Currently, at over $8 billion pumped into the region’s economy, that number is bound to grow even more with this year’s rankings.

With number one rankings from Southern Living, Afar and even seven years straight in Travel + Leisure, it’s clear that Charleston, SC is a great place to visit and an even greater place to live!

Eat & Drink

5 Must-Try Southern Recipes This Fall

Featured Image Source: Spicy Southern Kitchen

South Carolinians love their southern comfort food all year long, but there’s no better time for comfort food than the fall. As the weather starts to cool down, the best way to end the day is a home-cooked southern meal. Whether you’re from the South or not, these southern fall dishes are guaranteed to be some of the greatest recipes you’ll try this season!

Autumn Country Captain Casserole

This casserole recipe adds butternut squash and other fall flavors for a delicious autumn twist on a southern staple. With chicken, tomatoes, garlic, curry and basmati rice, this recipe’s flavors will not disappoint. In a little over an hour, you can cook a meal that family and friends will be talking about all fall long!

Sweet Potato Soup

This rich, tasty soup offers a warm alternative to everyone’s favorite side dish. Mixing Yukon gold potatoes, carrots, cinnamon, and sweet potatoes it’s the perfect dish to warm you up on a chilly Fall day. Save this recipe because we promise, you’ll be making it more than once.

Bourbon Pecan Chicken

Any dish with both pecans and chicken in the name is a must-try. The juicy fried chicken is topped with a sweet and spicy sauce composed of bold, flavorful bourbon and crunchy, buttery pecans. This southern fall dish will give you all the flavors of classic comfort food.

Country Chowder

Made up of breakfast sausage, turnip greens, potatoes and corn, this chowder is pretty much a taste of the south in a bowl. This hearty chowder will meet all your needs for a meal in the crisp autumn air. In just 45 minutes, you’ll be enjoying a tasty southern chowder that’s even better the next day!

Cheesy Biscuit Topped Chicken Pot Pie

Who doesn’t love a one-dish, oven-cooked meal? Just the benefits of fewer dishes had us sold to try but the taste is what keeps us making this recipe. It’s cheese, it’s bread, it’s chicken – what’s not to love? You’ll never be able to go back to the old ways of making this dish.

Catch y’all later! Heading to the grocery store now.

Featured

South Carolina Legislative Session Santee Cooper

2020 Legislative Session Preview

With the end of the year quickly approaching, the politicos of South Carolina are already gearing up for the 2020 session. Not only is the upcoming legislative session filled with hot-button, contentious issues as the political landscape of South Carolina changes, but it’s also an election year for the U.S. presidency, Lindsey Graham’s U.S. Senate seat and the entire South Carolina legislature.

Take a look at these issues that we’ll likely see being debated in the S.C. House and Senate this coming January:

Medical Marijuana
The fight for medical marijuana is nothing new in the South Carolina Statehouse. For the past five years, Senator Tom Davis of Beaufort has authored and championed the S.C. Compassionate Care Act, which would legalize marijuana for medicinal use. With Davis’ passion for the bill rooted in compassion for those who could benefit, he faces strong opposition from prominent figures such as SLED Chief Mark Keel who believes a bill of this nature is laying the path for recreational bills down the road.

Legislative committees in both the House and the Senate passed nearly identical “compassionate care” bills in the 2019 session, but neither were debated on the floor of either chamber. A poll taken this year, from Benchmark Research, showed 72 percent of South Carolinians support legalizing medical marijuana. Be sure to follow along as the bills aiming to legalize the medical use of the drug are set to hit the floor of both the House and the Senate in the upcoming legislative session.

Check out the highlights of the bill here.

Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility has been in the spotlight for some time after the abandoned nuclear project, V.C. Summer left the agency with over $7 billion of debt in total. As the Department of Administration handles the bidding process, lawmakers will vote in the 2020 session on what to do with the utility whether it be a process to sell the agency, hire an outside firm to manage the agency or reform internally.

Earlier this month, Santee Cooper announced its new plan to transition the company towards solar and natural gas and away from coal-based energy solutions. They also plan to cut jobs in order to save customers money. Additionally, a five-year rate freeze was included in the plan, but many South Carolinians are questioning how this would be possible and if rates will be higher in five years to continue paying down the additional $4 billion in debt the failed nuclear project incurred.

South Carolina lawmakers look to find a solution early in the session and move onto other important legislative matters. Top offers are expected to be presented to state lawmakers as early as January 15.

Education
As of 2017, South Carolina ranked 38th in teacher pay, falling behind regional and national averages. Teacher pay has gotten so low that many teachers take on second jobs to stay afloat.
This was one of the main reasons thousands of teachers walked out of classrooms on May 1st of this year to protest in the state capital.

Lawmakers are looking to overhaul the education system with a sweeping bill that would shape how schools are run across the state. Earlier this year, the 80-page bill was passed in the South Carolina House, but not in the Senate. A small group of state senators has been meeting to work out differences and is seeking to get the bill through the full Senate Education Committee before year’s end so it can be discussed on the floor when the legislature resumes in January.

Alcohol Blue Laws
Current South Carolina law only allows liquor to be sold by the drink and solely by restaurants, bars and hotel lounges on Sundays. Liquor stores can only sell a bottle of liquor from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. In January 2019, a South Carolina House Judiciary Committee panel passed a proposal that would allow Sunday liquor bottle sales in 10 tourist heavy counties around the state. The proposal was sent back to the subcommittee a month later after being debated on the House floor as lawmakers felt their energy could be used elsewhere.

The 2020 legislative session could see Sunday alcohol laws appear again as lawmakers have been told that tourists who travel to the Palmetto State over the weekend are surprised to learn they can’t buy a bottle of liquor. A lift on Sunday liquor sales faces stark opposition from many, as some lawmakers feel it will make the state less family-friendly and lead to 24-hour liquor sales.

What do you think is the most important issue for the upcoming legislative session?

Featured

South Carolina’s Best Biking Trails

From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, South Carolina’s landscape is hard to not love. No matter where you are in the Palmetto State, one of the best ways to take in the state’s natural beauty is to bike through it. Here are five of the best biking trails and paths that you can pedal through to soak in the beauty of Carolina and break a sweat while doing it!

Swamp Rabbit Trail

This 22-mile trail, located in Greenville was opened in 2009 and has since been a favorite among visitors and locals alike. Winding along the Reedy River, this trail offers paved terrain for a leisurely ride or you can step it up and ride through Downtown Greenville. For both types of riders, there are plenty of incredible food options and places to rest after a hard ride, including the Swamp Rabbit Cafe.

Hilton Head Island Pathways
Throughout Hilton Head exists 60 miles of pathways for cyclists to enjoy. Having been awarded gold status as a bicycle-friendly community, Hilton Head has made it easy to get just about anywhere on the island using your bike. The Pathways allow you to take in the 12 miles of Atlantic coastline while burning some calories!

North Augusta Greeneway

Along South Carolina’s border, the Savannah River offers breathtaking sights for all to see. The North Augusta Greeneway allows bikers and pedestrians to travel over seven miles to admire the beauty that North Augusta and the Savannah have to offer. From wooded areas to riverside, bikers will see this town in a new light along one of the flatter and easier trails on this list.

Bike the Neck

Running along Highway 17, the Waccamaw Neck Bikeway covers everything from Pawleys Island to Murrells Inlet and more. Currently offering 18.6 miles of paved bike pathways, the Neck will eventually span down to Georgetown and all of Horry County, covering 27 miles.

Three Rivers Greenway

In Columbia, 8.5 miles of trails sit next to three beautiful rivers, the Broad, Congaree and Saluda Rivers. As bikers and nature lovers get to ride beside the river banks, they’ll come across outdoor amphitheaters, boardwalks and lighted paths. The Three Rivers Greenway will allow you to see plenty of wildlife while admiring the state capital from your bike!

Featured

Santee Cooper’s Business Forecast for the Future

Featured Image: Post and Courier

It’s been a few weeks since state-owned Santee Cooper unveiled their “long-term plan” for the future. Since then, many Santee Cooper direct serve and electric cooperative customers have been wondering, what does it all really mean?

While the plan involves positive initiatives like a transition to more renewable, cleaner energy sources such as solar and natural gas, there are no specifics to how those goals will be achieved.

Breaking down the plan even further, Santee Cooper customers and South Carolina residents have room for concern as it appears there are many unanswered questions.

In order to pay down the debt, the state-owned utility started raising rates a few years back. Now, with the debt in the spotlight more than ever, part of Santee Cooper’s plan is to freeze rates for five years. While this is promising at first glance, many Santee Cooper customers are worried that it will only prolong the inevitable.

Other than closing its Winyah coal plant by 2027 and cutting jobs (another concern for local residents) to reduce costs, the utility doesn’t specify how it plans to pay its billions of dollars of debt and make the investments needed to reach their goals.

Which begs the question – will rates increase even more than anticipated after the five-year freeze?

Additionally, the state-owned agency finds itself in a lawsuit with its largest customer, the twenty electric cooperatives, who is suing the energy provider to stop them from raising their customer’s rates even more to pay for a generating plant that will never operate.

A question that hasn’t been answered – what will happen if the cooperatives win? Will the debt fall only onto the direct serve customers? Will a state-owned agency have to file for bankruptcy?

Many questions and very few complete answers seem to plague Santee Cooper at present.

Featured

10 Hot-Button Questions For Presidential Candidates In The Upcoming Election

The 2020 Presidential Election is right around the corner and the candidates are making their way to all the big stops along the campaign trail. As a key state in the race, South Carolinians can expect to see many of the presidential hopefuls in the Palmetto State.

And, while there are obvious national issues that the candidates are likely to address, there are a few key topics South Carolina residents should be asking the candidates about. Below, are ten questions that matter to South Carolinians.

1. Do you support offshore drilling off of the coasts of states like South Carolina?

Offshore drilling is a hot topic amongst many South Carolinians. Earlier this year, U.S. Representative Joe Cunningham caused a stir after he blew an air horn during a House subcommittee hearing to call attention to how loud and disturbing seismic blast-testing is to marine life.

2. Do you believe the private sector is best suited to meet our country’s energy needs?

A major topic of conversation over the past year was and continues to be the future of Santee Cooper. The state-owned utility found itself billions of dollars in debt after abandoning its V.C. Summer project, creating the largest financial disaster in our state’s history. Now, the question is whether or not to sell to a private utility. In the case that it’s not sold the debt would fall onto the millions of Santee Cooper direct serve and electric cooperative customers living in South Carolina.

3. What are your thoughts on teachers’ pay in South Carolina?

Teachers in South Carolina are fed up with the current education system and it’s showing. With experiencing a statewide shortage, South Carolina ranks in the top 10 worst states for teachers. In May, many teachers protested and demanded higher wages and many other changes to their current working conditions.

4. What are your views on the legalization of marijuana?

With the legalization of marijuana happening in many states across the country, whether medicinal or recreational, the topic made it to the top of the list in the 2018-2019 South Carolina legislative session. However, it wasn’t passed through which means it will most likely be brought back up in the next legislative session and South Carolinians are paying attention.

5. What is your plan for affordable housing?

The cost of living in the Lowcountry and surrounding areas continues to rise significantly as people from around the country pour into our state. Affordable housing in South Carolina is a major issue and one that many residents are worried about.

6. Do you believe the minimum wage should be increased?

Many feel that while the cost of living in our state is increasing, pay is not. During the previous legislative session, a bill was introduced to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $17 per hour in the state of South Carolina. Many South Carolinians are hoping to see an increase in pay to balance out the higher cost of living.

7. What are your views on the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar?

As climate change becomes an ever alarming issue not only in the United States but around the globe, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are becoming more essential to our future. Incentives such as the solar investment tax credit (ITC) allow more people to afford the high costs of installing solar panels onto their home.

8. As president, how would you help to relieve the high costs of healthcare?

Healthcare continues to not only be a hot-button issue but is also a detrimental one for so many South Carolina citizens. In 2013 alone, 56 million Americans struggled to pay healthcare-related costs, that’s one out of five adults.

9. Student debt burdens millions in the United States and South Carolina is not immune, how do you plan on helping to relieve this pressure from young people?

Student debt has topped $1.5 trillion in the United States and the amount continues to rise. This debt burdens and weighs down young people looking to start their careers and adult lives. The rising student debt is an issue many South Carolinians worry about every day.

10. America’s infrastructure is crumbling. How would you fund expand funding to fix our roads and bridges across the country and in South Carolina?

Our country’s infrastructure is in major need of repair. As roads and bridges crumble, our daily commutes and school bus routes become more dangerous. While funding infrastructure is expensive it is essential to the well-being of our state and its residents.

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